The government must ensure implementation of Women Protection Act as victim women are still unable to get their complaints registered. This was observed by former Justice Majida Rizvi, ex-chairperson of National Commission for Status of Women (NCSW), in "A Discourse on Women Protection Act 2006: Legal and Social Analysis under Decentralisation Support Programme" organised by NCSW here on Thursday.
She said that during the rule of President Zia-Ul-Haq, Hudood Laws were implemented through an ordinance. Under it, women imprisoned in jails were not permitted to become witnesses, women witnesses from minorities were rejected and presiding officer, if belonging to minority, was banned to initiate law proceedings, she said.
The existing Women Protection Act must be implemented in its true letter and spirit by developing consensus among the people, she said. NCSW Chairperson Arifa Syeda said that Islamic laws must be promulgated in the country while general masses must raise their voice against un-Islamic laws.
Former Justice Shaiq Usmani said that if the government was unable to implement Women Protection Act then it must cancel this law and formulate another one to protect women.
He described that 'Qazaf' and 'Rijem'(stoning to death) were the main drawbacks in Hudood Laws though the number of witnesses was reduced from four to two persons yet it is quite easy to find two false witnesses to blame a woman for adultery.
He said that under Women Protection Act, rape punishment was decided (simple or rigorous) minimum 10 to 25 years, while rape was usually committed by influential persons, who come out of jail easily after completing imprisonment sentence by hiding facts.
He said that despite promulgation of Hudood Laws, the country's superior judiciary never gave rigorous punishments to women caught in false blame of adultery. The government must remove flaws in the Act on priority basis. Anisa Haroon, women rights activist, said that laws were made to provide justice to public. "If these cannot provide justice than there is no use of making certain laws," she said.
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